Heavy Rain confirmed for 2010 release

Quantic Dream exec Guillaume de Fondaumiere has confirmed Heavy Rain won't be released until 2010.

"Most publishers today realise that it's not ideal to release a new IP or a new genre just before Christmas. It's a very crowded place to be, and certain games need more space to live their life," he told GamesIndustry.biz. "Everybody at working on the project, both at Quantic and Sony, believe this is the right time."

"We've always known that we had a window to release the game, and it's important for us to finish it the right way. We've got some margin either way, to some degree, but again I think there's a responsibility, and we don't want to deceive - so it's important for the game to be polished up until the last minute."

De Fondaumiere said the Heavy Rain alpha was delivered "on April 15 - on time, on budget". He continued, "It's a great moment, because we now have the whole game in our hands and we can play from beginning to end."

Sony had previously indicated Heavy Rain would be released in 2009. However, when talk of a 2010 date began to emerge back in May, the company declined to comment.

The bossman went on to say he's confident Heavy Rain will deliver on its promises and offer something different. "We're trying to show that it's possible to have an interactive story, that it's possible to offer players something different to just fighting, shooting and driving - that interactivity can be more than that," he explained.

"I hope that Heavy Rain will leave an imprint in people's minds, like the best movies or books - that's really our objective. I hope it's going to be not only something that they can look back on from a gaming perspective as new and original, but maybe from a more global perspective as an entertainment form, a form of expression."

Ellie spent nearly a decade working at Eurogamer, specialising in hard-hitting executive interviews and nob jokes. These days she does a comedy show and podcast. She pops back now and again to write the odd article and steal our biscuits.